Better Together

Better Together #3: Shane Palko and The Rabbit & The Dragonfly

May 16, 2016 by thepromiseishope

Shane Palko was pretty instrumental in the creation of The Promise is Hope (and our marriage). My first time meeting Shane was in the fall of 2012. He came up to visit some mutual friends in Worcester who quickly introduced us as fellow singer-songwriters and passionate musicians. I was in the early process of finishing The College Town EP, and Eric & I were leading worship occasionally together but hardly knew each other. After an impromptu jam, Eric, Shane & I played music together all week, stayed up late frolicking around Worcester, and started a lasting friendship. After Shane left from that trip, Eric and I continued our friendship and the rest is history.

Shane has been one of our most supportive influences. We have watched him tour the US and Southeast Asia and have consistently been inspired by his artistry and songwriting. We played the majority of our dates on our last tour with Shane, and every single night we could hear him sing an old song in a new way. Listening to these songs reminded us why we love songwriting so much. We have been touched, humbled, inspired and encouraged by his music, and we are proud and glad to call him a friend and comrade.

Take a listen to some of Shane’s music here.

Eric in the Narnian wardrobe at The Rabbit & The Dragonfly. Lancaster, PA.

On our January tour with Shane, we visited a quaint and magical spot in Lancaster, PA. It was one of those nights that we forgot we had to play. Chatting with Dave, one of the passionate managers of The Rabbit & The Dragonfly, was so invigorating and inspiring that we almost forgot why we were there! This small bookstore/cafe in Lancaster was one of our very favorite places to play on our last tour. The cafe was opened by a group of people who were inspired by the creative community fostered by authors like C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien. Their mission is “to promote community, collaboration, and creative inspiration that will fuel connections and promote life in our city.” There are many venues that promise this mission, but very few who successfully become a place where other musicians in our community will boast about. They have welcomed creatives and musicians with open arms, and are now known as a spot where touring artists can go to share their art and be appreciated and taken care of. They have only been open for a short time, and have already showcased a slew of incredible musicians and have hosted hundreds of amazing events.

We’ll be returning with Shane Palko to The Rabbit & The Dragonfly this Friday, May 20th at 7:00pm. If you are in Eastern PA, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Gorgeous songs in an incredibly beautiful venue!

This post is part of our “Better Together” series, which celebrates the independent music community with blog posts about indie artists & venues with whom we are proud to partner. Read more here, and stay tuned for future posts about the beautiful people we meet on the road. Click here to read more posts in the “Better Together” series.

Better Together #2: Cindertalk & The Circle of Life

March 4, 2016 by thepromiseishope

Better Together

Steve & Johnny Rodgers (Mighty Purple), circa 1995. How I remember them.

Steve & Jonny Rodgers (Mighty Purple), circa 1995. How I remember them.

It’s old folklore in my family that my dad taught Jonny & Steve Rodgers how to play the guitar. Legend has it that Rob Hames, in all of his 1989 mullet-haired glory, lived on the same road as two bright-eyed brothers in Hamden, CT and introduced them to the music world. They quickly started Mighty Purple, the band that is famous to all early-90’s grunge New Haven college kids. As my dad would say, he may have helped them a bit in the start, but the Rodgers brothers ran off and exceeded any expectation he may have had of them. My mom and dad met in Hamden shortly thereafter, and Mighty Purple’s first album, Revolution, was released in 1991, the year I was born. I had all of the words to their third album, Black River Falls (1995), memorized by age 5. We went out to see Mighty Purple a few times when I was incredibly young, and I remember being mesmerized by their ethereal, grunge/folk sound. The first time Steve Rodgers heard The Promise is Hope, he told Eric that he plays the electric just like Jonny did. It’s safe to say Mighty Purple made a big impact on my early psyche.

My first gigs were in Hamden at Steve’s local all-ages venue and first passion project, The Space. I was 13, playing angsty, clunky love songs on a borrowed Yamaha keyboard. I somehow got put on a bill with Katie Herzig and Matthew Perryman Jones. I’m sure they were glad to play for my 10 family members and high school boyfriend, but I’m guessing they don’t remember that little show now that their songs are featured on Grey’s Anatomy and Parenthood once a month. C’est la vie…

Not taken at The Space. Simply a portrayal of the same awkward 13 year-old I’m referring to here.

Me & my Dad, around age 14.

Eric and my first duo show was a house concert in 2013 in a lovely blue triple-decker apartment in Worcester. Jonny asked if he could come up during his East Coast tour, and we were thrilled to play with him that night for new friends & family here in Massachusetts. These days, we try to schedule a visit to Steve’s new 21+ venue/craft beer bar, The Outer Space, each time we’re touring through Connecticut.

The circle of life is funny and strange. We laugh about these stories every time we see each other, and I’m always reminded how perfectly orchestrated life can seem at times. Jonny & Steve Rodgers may have been impacted by my dad in the beginning of their careers. I can’t necessarily speak for them in making that claim. I can speak for myself, however, in saying that these two brothers have been hugely impactful in my life. Not only have they shown me, from an incredibly early age, the importance, significance and do-ability of independent music, but they’ve been there for some of the most important moments of my personal journey.

<a href="http://jonnyrodgers.bandcamp.com/album/everything-all-at-once">Everything All At Once by Cindertalk</a>

Jonny is now writing, performing and touring as the solo act, Cindertalk. His album Everything All At Once (2013 Epitonic) prominently features tuned wine glasses, guitars and electronics with loops used in unexpected and captivating ways. It is one of my favorite albums. I can’t find a song on it that doesn’t thrill me. His music is spiritually and musically fulfilling. It’s simple and complex all at once. Seeing Jonny perform is one of the most captivating experiences I’ve had in life.

In yet another loop of our great circle together, we will be performing with Cindertalk & Steve Rodgers’s new project, Arms & Voices, on March 11th at The Outer Space in Hamden, CT. [More info here]. The following night, Jonny will be returning to Worcester to perform with The Promise is Hope and Joy Rachelle at Nine Dot Gallery, a fine arts gallery that is aiming to encourage a growth of culture in the center of our city. This gallery is yet another example of the great people of this world encouraging local art. It is indirectly inspired by people just like Steve & Jonny Rodgers. People who take risks and throw themselves completely into creating a better, more beautiful world.

Please join us on March 12th in welcoming my great friend Jonny Rodgers to Worcester. The event will take place at Nine Dot Gallery (763 Main Street, Worcester, MA) at 6:30pm. We encourage a $10+ donation, which will go directly to supporting these great musicians and beautiful gallery. To find out more, click here to be directed to the Facebook event page.

To hear more from Cindertalk, visit www.cindertalk.com.

The “Better Together” Blog

February 25, 2016 by thepromiseishope

Better Together

“The music industry is cruel.”

Have you ever heard that? We certainly have. People remind us all the time that we’re a little bit crazy to be working musicians. As a society, we view the “music industry” as a dog-eat-dog business, only successfully navigated by those who can climb over others to get the top. It is represented in films about Motown stars who get screwed over by their producers and turn to drugs. We watch lawsuits being fought between hurting artists and the labels who keep them shackled (#FREEKESHA!), and Making the Band episodes about estranged bandmates whose relationships crumble beneath the competition and pressure of creating and performing. These images of the industry lead us to believe that the price of making music as a profession is high: the people you love will screw you over, and you have to screw them over. It’s every man for itself if you want to “make it.” Yes, it’s cruel.

This may be true. The “industry” may be cruel. However, The Promise is Hope is not part of this same system. We have not embraced the “industry” mentality that says in order to be a successful musician, you must get signed to a label, make others lots of money, and screw everyone over in the process. One of the main components of our model is centered around community as an industry. Nepotism and competitiveness may benefit a few, but it does not benefit the system as a whole. Working together with a family of creatives to support and value one anothers’ work is key to working as a successful independent musician. We may call ourselves “independent”, but we are never alone.

Every now and again, we work with incredible artists & venues who share our vision. We’ve met many musicians who are working their butts off creating and sharing their work, and who help us do the same. We’ve collaborated with them on booking tours and shows, embracing the old adage that “Alone we go faster, but together we go farther.” We’ve played in venues (cafes, restaurants, clubs, even book stores!) who value, celebrate and support independent musicians with love, encouragement and a great place to return on tour. In this blog series, we’re going to celebrate and share our appreciation for these wonderful people and the mutually loving and supportive relationships growing in the independent music community. We want to change the perception of the music industry. We want more musicians to be welcomed into this community, and not be afraid to enter due to the idea that it’s every man for himself. We want to welcome everyone into this beautiful world of beautiful people with our stories of kindness, hospitality, joy and music.

Being a working musician does not mean subscribing to a cruel industry. We, instead, have been warmly adopted by a world-wide family of truly phenomenal humans who believe, like we do, that music is important, valuable and worth celebrating.

To read the first post in the Better Together series about our friend, Joy Ike, click here.

Click here to read more posts in the “Better Together” series.

BETTER TOGETHER #1: Joy Ike, A Hit of Humanity

February 25, 2016 by thepromiseishope

Better Together

I had to stand behind the sound guy on my tip-toes to get the perfect view of Joy & Peace Ike. The stage of the P H A R M A C Y, the understated club/cafe on a random corner of South Philly, is oddly placed in front of strangely placed pillars, blocking its view from half of the room. On a night as full as ours, it’s impossible to see the stage without standing in everyone’s way. For part of the show, I stood to the side, behind a pillar, closed my eyes and listened. However, I don’t believe it’s enough to simply hear Joy Ike’s music. Her person and her stage presence are both imperative to enjoying her music. That’s probably why she’s touring most of the year. There is just something about seeing Joy Ike play. She plays piano the way a classically-trained pianist was taught to – with the type of musicality that is both effortless and complex. It carries and sways you. It fills the entire room. Her voice is technically perfect, strong, yet emotionally compelling. Sweet, smooth, with the most gracefully, healthfully-placed roughness. Her sister, Peace, joins her on percussion for many of her more local shows. Their chemistry is something that can only be learned the way a sister’s bond is learned. Over time, patiently, without effort. There is something intimate and magical about watching them play together, like you’re being welcomed into the secret world of sisters.

This was our second time supporting Joy Ike on a bill. We met her first at The Outer Space in Hamden, CT. After a funny chat about swapping CDs (something she discusses in her blog, Grassrootsy), we left the show with her album, “All or Nothing” (2013). We placed it in the CD-player for the drive home, and were shocked to hear a fabulously produced, beautifully arranged, perfectly mixed independently-made album. Trust me when I tell you, this is rare. Thanks to the Grassrootsy post I linked above, and that funny conversation with Joy, we no longer swap CDs for bands we don’t love. Our merch box was getting packed full of homemade, poorly produced indie EPs, and we’d been trading our $10 album for them. It simply was no longer a cost-effective or joy-filled practice. However, in the case of “All or Nothing”, we would’ve paid over and above the asking price. Find out for yourself. “All or Nothing” can be found on iTunes, or on www.joyike.salesenvy.com. Pick it up!

My eyes filled with tears in that strange Philadelphia room. We were ending our third tour, and listening to Joy reminded me how clear and simple it felt to do something as crazy as independent music. Joy represents one of the greatest parts of indie music: the community. She is as beautiful of a person as she is a songwriter. Her empathy and willingness to connect with a plethora of life experiences are portrayed in her music. She is unmarried; yet her song “Time” speaks so directly to my experience of marriage, I feel as if she’s living it with me. Her song “Promised Land” eloquently communicates her experience of family, race and heritage like a rich novel, helping me understand something I’ve never lived. I sent her song “Home” to my sister-in-law to play as a lullaby for my sweet baby niece. “The Fall Song” makes me nostalgic for crunchy leaves beneath my boots. Every song I’ve heard Joy Ike play connects to a different room in my heart, or connects me to a part of the world that I’ve never stepped into. Art’s purpose is to connect people to themselves and others. This is why I became a musician. This is why I do what I do. This, I think, is why Joy does what she does. The colors which Joy Ike uses to paint humanity are subtle, relatable, and utterly fulfilling. She is the highest caliber of artist, professional, indie musician and human being.

Find more from Joy Ike at www.joyike.com.

This post is part of our “Better Together” series, which celebrates the independent music community with blog posts about indie artists & venues with whom we are proud to partner. Read more here, and stay tuned for future posts about the beautiful people we meet on the road. Click here to read more posts in the “Better Together” series.